Let the Sunshine Blogger Award In !

I admit that I am not super comfortable sharing too much personal information on my blog but when Dan from IamDanElson was sweet enough to nominate me for a Sunshine Blogger Award, I was more than happy to answer his list of questions ! Dan is a travel blogger & a digital marketer, and on his blog, you get a lot of information on both travel and financial topics. With the clouds back for the Fall, the thought of spreading a little sunshine to others definitely appealed to me ! « Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in / Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in » (Hair – Let the sunshine in). I know it is not the Oscars, but I am very new in the blogging scene (Happy bloganniversary, the blog has 1 year), and it is nice to know that someone has read my blog and liked it… OK, I know he is not the only one because I receive your incredible and encouraging comments when publishing an article directly on the blog or through Social Medias. Thank you so much to all of you, travelers, none travelers, People (a special thanks to Jean-Jacques Goldman & Patrick Chappatte), family and friends for following me, YOU are my sunshine !

In case you are wondering, The Sunshine Blogger Award is an award given by bloggers to other bloggers who « are positive and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere »… That’s exactly what ‘ Tween here and there is about : a blog that shares awesome destinations, culinary adventures, and travel stories from this pretty wild world of ours ! Once nominated, the blogger is required to write a post in which they:

• Thank the blogger who nominated them and link back to their blog.
• Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated them,
• Nominate 11 other blogs and give them 11 new questions to answer,
• Notify your nominees and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post.

So, thanks again to Dan for the nomination and here are my answers to few questions about myself and about the blog :

1. Why do you travel ?

At first, it sounds like such a simple question, doesn’t it ? But in fact, it’s one of the most complex and open-ended questions that you can ask any traveler… I simply cannot provide one answer to this question, so I will spill my brain. I travel because I cannot see living my life any other way: it has become a lifelong passion. Looking at photos of a new place fills me with desire, but actually experiencing that same place (being able to see, smell, touch, and hear it) fills me with serenity, wonder, and unparalleled joy… With travel, the potential for discovery and learning is seemingly infinite. Traveling has changed my life forever. Seeing new places, experiencing new cultures, learning about the history of countries, eating local dishes and exploring nature that are some of my favorite aspects to traveling. As Mark Twain said « Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover ».

2. Number of countries you’ve traveled to ?

Does it really matter ? One of the strangest things I have encountered in the travel blogging community is the debate surrounding « country counting ». Personally, I would urge new travelers not to tick off countries; it is no way to see the world. I have spent weeks in some of the places because I love them. Other countries I know I will never visit, I simply have no interest. So, my advice would be: travel slow and travel deep, the rewards are far richer !

3. Do you prefer long term travel or holidays ?

I do not have the opportunity to experience long-term travel now, as I am a full time worker and part time traveller. I make the most of my 5 weeks’ annual leave travelling around the world. I am sure there are many great things about traveling forever. However, long-term travel presents you with a lonely existence sometimes. Like everything there are many downsides…

4. If you could go anywhere tomorrow, where would it be and why ?

First of all, I’d like to visit another planet, but it’s not for tomorrow, right ? Next to visit Atlantis, but nobody still did not find this place… Now, more seriously, I would love to visit Japan for many reasons such as culture, lifestyle, nature, food etc. But honestly, there are so many wonderful places in our world and sometimes they are really close to us. « Heureux qui, comme C-Ludik, a fait un beau voyage… » that can be translated by « Happy she who like C-Ludik has returned successful from his travels ..»

A BIG thank you to Patrick Chappatte, an editorial cartoonist for the New York Times as well as for Swiss newspapers Le Temps and NZZ am Sonntag and a pioneer of graphic journalism. Meeting you was an amazing experience ! See more on www.chappatte.com

5. How do you fund your travels ?

Currently, my earnings come from my job position as a food engineer for an international food company. I also have use my international employers to help me see the world…

6. How did you get into this whole traveling around thing ?

I am a trueborn adventurer and enthusiastic storyteller. Exploration pulses through my veins. Born and raised near Grenoble (France) but always felt the urge to explore the world. As an avid outdoors enthusiast and world traveler I’m determined to discover the remote corner of the planet. The more I see, the more I want to see. The more I explore, the more I appreciate how fortunate I am to be able to do so. The main goal of my blog ‘‘ Tween here and there is to inspire people to travel more and to choose for less known destinations away from the mass tourism. On my blog I feature only personal experience in the form of captivating travel stories. I am interested in off-the-beaten track destinations. I am not interested in the Top 10-things… neither will I write about Why to visit…I love to discover anything not so popular, but quirky and special. I hope my blog is a travel inspiration for those with full-time jobs and for those in search of anything beyond the mass tourism. However, do not get me wrong, I still visit popular attractions: I still love Barcelona, New Orleans, Rome or Paris. But when it comes to writing an article, it’s gonna be my version, why I have enjoyed those places or cities and what’s so special about it for me.

A BIG thank you to Jean-Jacques Goldman, a popular French singer-songwriter, for his sweet words !

7. Best experience so far and why ?

My confession is I fall in love with so many places. I’m always half broken-hearted by goodbyes… I believe we leave tiny pieces of ourselves in every place we’ve loved. Travelling is about the experiences you have, the people you met and places you visit, the things you learn and discover and the memories you make and wow I have made some amazing memories ! It is hard to choose, but I will pick up my recent experience with the Northern Lights, which is something truly unforgettable. Where you were, who you were with, and how you felt at that exact moment stays with you for a lifetime !

Northern Lights, Tromsø in Norway

8. Worst experience so far and why ?

You are right, travel is not always fun, in fact sometimes it is bloody horrible.  It is easy to focus on the good because, thankfully, mostly travel is awesome. There are some experiences I never want to live again. I loved India, but I struggled being a solo female traveler in New Dehli. Men were constantly trying to pick me up. I felt I had to start being very rude to everyone who tried to talk to me, as no matter how innocent their conversation started, it always lead to them asking me « are you married ? ».

9. Tell everyone your first story you always tell other travelers you meet along the way ?

I have plenty of funny stories J to share with other travelers or none travelers… And a good travel story is usually the result of someting that went (terribly) wrong. These moments can be quite unpleasant experiences, but you instantly know that they will make an excellent story for years to share ! I can tell you about a funny short tale on how you need to be extra careful whilst traveling in a different cultural environment. Especially in terms of clothing ! Or we’ve all been there: captured by the innocent smiles and kindness of the locals in a foreign land… Be careful when putting your pink glasses on, as you will also probably need a good pair of shoes to run away as fast as possible !

10. Where is next on your travel hit list and why ?

In the near future I’m planning to explore Bhutan – honestly, I’m really excited about it ! It is a modern country yet medieval with one foot still rooted in its past. Bhutan seems to be a different planet altogether.

11. And finally, what would you do with your life if money wasn’t an issue ? 

I would simply answer; it’s time to fall in love with new places all over again and again…

My Questions:

1. What’s your story behind your Blog name ?
2. How many hours per week do you devote to your blog ?
3. Have any of your opinions or beliefs changed because of travelling and/or blogging? How?
4. How do you stay positive ?
5. What do you do on a rainy day ?
6. Is there a place you love, like a small town or a village, that many people probably haven’t heard of ?
7. Is there a country you have always wanted to visit, and if so, where ?
8. If you could live anywhere in the world, what city/country would you choose?
9. What do you collect from your travels – besides memories ?
10. You can bring only one book (or one author) on an deserted island, which one will that be ?
11. And lastly, summarize your life in three songs (yes, I know it’s a hard one !)

My nominations for The Sunshine Blogger Award

Here are a list of bloggers that I find inspiring and motivational, hopefully you will as well so go check them out !
1. Charlotte & M: Traces de Voyages, the most-inspiring-couple-travel-bloggers
2. Mario: Bon voyage, a globetrotter
3. Lili: Nawaï Li Savoury cooking, for her tasty, balanced or downright gourmet recipes
4. Valentine: Les voyages de Valentine, because I love travel & food !
5. Alix: A tire d’elle, enjoy your daily life by walking, cooking, creating, reading…(
6. Casey, just a girl on a road: A wandering Foreigner
7. Daniela: The Lost Romanian
8. Ketki: Ecokats, exploring the world with sustainable travel
9. Lien: Get Lost Abroad, get inspired to step out of your comfort zone and travel the world
10. Charlene: Trip USA-Canada, because I love those places !
11. Steffi: Daily Steffi, everything about travel, beauty, design and food